The key facts

  • For a 'second salary' of 103,014 rubles a month at a rate of 12.76%, about 9.69 million rubles before personal income tax is needed
  • A year earlier, at a rate of 13.22%, about 8.43 million rubles was enough — a 15% increase in the required capital
  • For income at the level of Chukotka salaries, about 20.69 million rubles would be required

How much money do you need to live on interest

For the interest income on a deposit to match the average salary — 103,014 rubles a month — at an annual rate of 12.76%, you would need to place about 9.69 million rubles. This calculation was presented to Gazeta.Ru by Denis Donskikh, director of savings products at the Finuslugi marketplace. The amount is given before any personal income tax, and the actual payout schedule depends on the terms of the specific deposit: monthly interest payments are not provided in all products.

The threshold has risen by 15% over the year

The figure has changed noticeably compared with last year. A year earlier, the average nominal salary was 92,866 rubles and the average rate on one-year deposits was 13.22%, so a comparable income required about 8.43 million rubles. Thus, the required capital has grown by roughly 1.26 million rubles, or 15%: the rise in the average salary outweighed the decline in rates. This is also confirmed by an earlier calculation of how much money is needed to live on interest, which Gazeta.Ru reported on.

Regional differences and practical advice

The required amount depends heavily on what income a person considers their target. For an income equal to the average salary in Chukotka — 220,010 rubles — at the same rate, about 20.69 million rubles before tax would be needed; for Magadan Region, 18.14 million; for the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, 17.27 million. Donskikh also suggested spreading capital across several deposits with different maturity dates: this way, part of the money remains liquid.